Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to unmanned aerial surveillance and, more particularly, to a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) using a combination of radio, optical, thermal, and chemical detection for confirming the existence of explosives and providing for their detonation from a safe distance.
There is often a need for detection of hidden objects, e.g., objects such as weapons or explosives hidden behind a wall of a building, concealed on individuals, or otherwise buried or concealed. Such needs often arise in situations where surveillance or security protection is desired—such as for police work, military combat scenarios, or fire and rescue situations.
It may be desirable, for example, to be able to detect objects such as weapons or bombs hidden behind a wall of a building or buried underground. Solutions to such problems may be useful in situations where surveillance of an inhabitable area from behind a building wall may be desired, for example, for detecting illegal activities such as smuggling or illegal border crossings or, for example, detecting the presence of hostile individuals in a war zone or terrorist situation. Another important application is detection of unexploded ordnance (UXO) such as abandoned landmines or undetonated bombs that may, for example, be left over from past conflicts. In urban environments, unexploded ordnance often may lie concealed behind standing walls.
An important case of detecting concealed objects, particularly in tactical situations—such as encountered in a war zone or against terrorist activities—is the detection of improvised explosive devices (IED). IEDs (and landmines) may generally lie concealed underground and may urgently require investigation of narrow roads, river beds, culverts, and tactical choke points, for example. Many such situations, however, can expose the operator of detection equipment to grave danger and unacceptably high risks. Equipment used for exploding or otherwise disarming explosive devices and ordnance may expose the equipment to explosion and loss of the equipment.
Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, in which the showings therein are for purposes of illustrating the embodiments and not for purposes of limiting them.